Written questions by Barker.

What steps her Department plans to take to help ensure Kings Leadership Academy in Liverpool is ready to accept pupils from September 2025.

To open a free school, the department must be satisfied that the site is suitable and deliverable. The department has acquired the site for the school. However, there are a number of planning conditions that the department needs to satisfy before the school opens. The department is working closely with the Local Planning Authority, Liverpool City Council and the Great Schools Trust to address the planning requirements for the school.

What his Department's policy is on local authority insourcing of adult social care services.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes planning the balance of services which should be directly provided by the local authority, or commissioned from external care providers.

What discussions his Department plans to have with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the (a) funding and (b) commissioning of adult social care services.

The Department of Health and Social Care has regular discussions with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on adult social care funding, and the commissioning of adult social care services. The Department will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to understand the impact of cost and demand pressures on service delivery and budgets, and to align our approaches, support improvement, and ensure people are at the centre of care decisions.

What steps her Department plans to take to increase the number of school places in areas where there exists a shortage.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. The department collects pupil forecasts and school capacity data from local authorities annually through the School Capacity survey. The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on the data they provide. Nearly £1.5 billion of allocations have already been confirmed to support local authorities to create school places needed over the next three academic years, up to and including the 2026/27 academic year. This represents £745 million for September 2024, £195 million for September 2025 and over £520 million for September 2026. The department also engages with local authorities on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, the department supports them to find solutions as quickly as possible. Published guidance makes clear the expectation that schools, academy trusts, dioceses, parents and other civic partners work collaboratively with local authorities to support them in the delivery of their place planning responsibilities. This government is reviewing this further to ensure it meets the needs of local areas.

What steps his Department is taking to help prevent the (a) exploitation of and (b) potential waste in public funding for agencies arranging adult social care workers from overseas.

We have seen unacceptable increases in unethical practices and exploitation of international recruits in the adult social care sector.  We are committed to improving the way international recruitment works in adult social care, to ensuring individuals work for legitimate providers, and to tackling the exploitation of workers.This includes working closely with the Home Office to share concerns and intelligence. In addition, £16 million has been provided to regional partnerships this financial year which is focused on providing support to international workers affected by unethical employment practices to access appropriate services and provide pastoral support.The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and reduce the reliance on international recruitment. We want it to be regarded as a profession, and for the people who work in care to be respected as professionals.

What estimate her Department has made of the number school places in Liverpool.

Data on state-funded school places is published at local authority level in the annual school capacity statistics publication. The latest data available shows that, as at 1 May 2023, there were 75,150 state-funded school places, (39,570 primary and 35,580 secondary), in Liverpool. The annual school capacity statistics publication can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity.